http://www.shareandcompareplay.com/ started as an experiment to test the theories first outlined in this article http://tinyurl.com/556yld in March 2008.
The hypothesis was simple. Publish all we knew for FREE about the Indoor Play industry, explore opportunities as they emerge, monitor / apply feedback and see what happens.
FREE is a new, more open way of business that reflects a change of thinking as much as a new economic model. I can empathise with the fears that people / organisations have with regard to sharing information from which they have previously earned their living; however, I believe that by clinging to the status quo bigger opportunities are missed.
At Business School, you are taught to think strategically and plan long-term and this approach likely still has it uses. However, in the last eighteen months our business approach has had to become more adaptable, constantly in Beta http://tinyurl.com/6m5nlj; this experience is no bad thing in these times when the Macroeconomic landscape is changing as it is.
The results have been exhilarating and sometimes challenging whilst leading to untold opportunities and interesting results:
- Shareandcompareplay.com now lists over 80 suppliers of all descriptions for FREE (including the smaller companies that previously could not be found)
- Users (rather than us) review and rank all suppliers to help Play Operators choose the right supplier for them
- Information that was either tied to a play supplier or you had to pay for, is now available for FREE in a variety of formats
- We are connecting people in the Soft Play industry, sharing information so that we can together create the best possible play experience
- A sister company is soon to do the same for the Wedding industry http://www.shareandcompareweddings.com
In the last few days, the Book from which the article was taken (you can read it for FREE above or buy it here http://tinyurl.com/lbuune) has been released and a lively discussion has started at the Blog of the Author http://tinyurl.com/l387zt .
We will continue to share our experience from this experiment but the questions for play operators and businesses now include:
- What impact would it have on your business if a competitor started to offer some of your core products and services for FREE?
- Does your business model allow for flexibility and constant change?
- Is your organisation open to new opportunities and new methods of serving your customers?
Shareandcompareplay.com is the Indoor Soft Play Comparison website.
Follow us at Twitter.com/shareandcompare or (Un)subscribe to our Blog by e-mailing us at contact@shareandcompareplay.com
Posts
